Non-Injuring
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taṉṉuyirk kiṉṉāmai tāṉaṟivā ṉeṉkolō / maṉṉuyirk kiṉṉā ceyal
“Whose soul has felt the bitter smart of wrong, how can / He wrongs inflict on ever-living soul of man?”
“He who hath felt what pain meaneth to himself, how doth he bring himself to inflict it on others?”
How can one who knows from experience what hurts one's own life choose to inflict that pain on another living being?
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Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
தன் உயிர்க்கு இன்னாமை தான் அறிவான்= பிறர்செய்யும் இன்னாதன தன்னுயிர்க்கு இன்னாவாம் தன்மையை அனுபவித்து அறிகின்றவன்; மன் உயிர்க்கு இன்னா செயல் என்கொல்= நிலைபேறுடைய பிறவுயிர்கட்குத் தான் அவற்றைச் செய்தல் என்ன காரணத்தான்!
Source: Tamil Wikisource
When a person knows from personal experience how deeply injury hurts their own life, why would they ever inflict suffering upon other enduring souls?